1.) A picture is worth a thousand words” as the adage goes. (You’re limited to the space provided, however.) Sometimes a photo or picture can capture an object that you treasure, a person you admire or a place that you love; sometimes a photograph is simply your record of an experience or moment in your life. Imagine one photo or picture that you have, or would like to have, and tell us why it is meaningful to you. As you reflect on your life thus far, what has someone said, written or expressed in some fashion that is especially meaningful to you? Why? Ever since I was a little girl, whenever I’d come home from school and show my mom my report cards and scores in tests, she wouldn’t say anything. She would write me notes that would simply ask: “Are you happy with your achievements?”
She never praises me excessively nor does she complain when I stumble. She just supports me. This trustful relationship has shifted the responsibility to me to set my own goals and to find my own way. For a Chinese girl, this freedom is a precious rarity.
I am free to look past the doors of Mayer Steel Corp. where all my aunts and uncles and their spouses work for my grandfather. All my cousins, down to 1-year-old Kyler, will undoubtedly work there as well. Studying Art History runs counter to the Chinese preference for lucrative or practical endeavors. But it is what I am passionate about, and my parents are open -minded enough to let me pursue it.
I am free to be the only one with curly hair in my class, while the rest spend hours in the salon to have theirs ironed straight, in keeping with the Asian stereotypes. I like curly hair. And I am not into stereotypes.
I am a free spirit when it comes to matters of faith. I believe in reincarnation and yet I also observe the 10 commandments because I see the sense in each one.
Mahamatma Gandhi advises us to “be the change” we want to see in the world. The change I want to see is freedom for all females of Chinese descent who have been pressured into one box or another by family traditions, media or even school. The best way I know to do this is to blaze the trail for those whose inclinations run in a different direction from the crowd. This may make me a little less popular with the grandparents or a bit of an oddity at school. But by doing well and staying happy, I can show that different can also be good.